Wednesday, September 3, 2008

X PRIZE Lab @ MIT

As part of our prize development process, and education initiatives, the X PRIZE Foundation sponsors a class at MIT called the X PRIZE Lab @ MIT (sorry for the redundancy). The point of the class is to explore the model and potential of X PRIZEs, and what sorts of PRIZEs would bring about the radical breakthroughs that we're always seeking. In the Spring of 2008, the first semester that the Lab ran, the students explored the area of Health and Healthcare in the developing world. At the end of the class, the students were able to present their ideas to Dr. Peter Diamandis, our CEO and Chairman, as well as a select group of Board Members. In the fall, the students are going to be focusing on Energy and the Environment.

I've embedded a video of Peter talking about the X PRIZE Lab from YouTube.

3 comments:

Great, I love what you're doing...but why are you limiting the pool of information to undergrads and graduate students? What about the brilliant minds that spend their times tinkering in their garages and are creating, inventing and imagining while working hands on. I dream of being able to attend an institute like MIT but every day I work to bring to life the concepts that whether large or small will have influence on our world.

No idea should be overlooked. Remember the story of the boy and the truck stuck in the tunnel?

glad to hear that you like what we're doing with the Lab. I'd just like to let you know that we work very hard not to limit the pool of information to just one group. The X PRIZE Lab is a class at MIT, so that must be limited to MIT students.

However, all of our contests are open to ANYONE. We have a number of those brilliant minds working on solving the challenges in their garages, just like you say. We also take in and consider prize ideas on our website from anyone. Our events are well staffed by people eager to speak with the public.

I couldn't agree more that no idea should be overlooked, and that great ideas can come from anywhere. That's why we have so many initiatives, reaching out to so many different people.